Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) was founded in 2004 to help elect progressives and to make a real difference organizing for progress. My grandfather emigrated from Poland when he was 18. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard to serve his new country, and worked as a coal miner in rural Pennsylvania and Illinois where he met my grandmother, herself the daughter of immigrants, and started a family. In their house, the name John L. Lewis (labor organizer and president of United Mine Workers 1920-1960) was revered. Years later, my grandfather, having gained his citizenship, sponsored his own mother to come to the U.S.

Being from “old country” as they called it, their small half-acre of land in Georgetown, Illinois, was brimming with gardens, fruit trees, a grape arbor, poultry, a few pigs, and a milk cow. My mother recalls that the family never went hungry–even if fare was simple–during the Great Depression, and that Grandmother fed neighbors and vagrants passing through—no one left empty-handed.

Grandfather shared firewood with less fortunate neighbors and railed against those in power who would exploit the poor and disadvantaged. He knew first-hand about oppression from government and business moguls, and he took it personally.

After he left the mines, Grandfather did odd jobs to support the family. He squirreled away a bit of money from each paycheck, each odd job, to ensure the family’s economic stability. I think of him daily, and believe he would heartily approve of my work with Progressive Democrats of America.

PDA works tirelessly and frugally to call attention to injustice and cruel policies that hurt and disenfranchise our most vulnerable brothers and sisters throughout our country. And we need your help to squirrel away enough resources to continue and expand our efforts to elect honest and courageous progressive candidates to Congress in November.

$10 per month helps defray the cost of lapel stickers and buttons to amplify our message in public spaces.

$5 per month lets us print sign-up sheets and educational leaflets for festivals and farmers’ markets.

Now multiply those numbers by 10 or 50 or 100 active sustainers, and you see how important your gift is to us and how effective we can be with your generous support. Please give a monthly donation to help us continue and expand our efforts…for all of us.

P.S. We don’t ask for dues. We rely on small donations from people like you. If you’ve donated before, now is the time to sign up to make automatic monthly contributions. If you’re already a sustainer, we appreciate your help! If you can, please consider setting up another sustainer donation. Click here to sign up for monthly sustainer donations. No spare change to help us make change? Then contact Mike Fox to join the phone team.